Someone's Trash is Now MY Treasure

As you probably know, a couple weeks ago we hosted a yard sale at my house to raise money for our adoption (a huge success).  Obviously, when have an event like that....not everything goes.  So as my husband and I were loading the van full for runs to Goodwill and then to the dump, there are a few things I held on to.  No, not for the fond memories! =)  First of all, besides the huge addition to our adoption account, that was not my idea of fun.  Second, I've been working REALLY really hard NOT to hold on to things for memory's sake.  I'm not perfect....I still have a lot of it...but this yard sale was also a good cleanser for my home.  We had a LOT of things I was holding on to, for who knows why. 

Anyway, here's one of the things I held on to because I was inspired when I looked at it (thanks to Sara over at It's Good To Be Queen)....see what it turned into! =)

This was a very inexpensive project that....

a. took my mind off of things

b. filled a blank wall in my kitchen

c. will have a lot of use

So here's how I created my beautiful (and handy!) chalkboard.

1. Find a dumpy old frame of a decent/desired size (the free-er the better) =)

2. Strip said frame of all hideousness (ugly picture with 60's newspaper backing, in this case)

3. Clean frame with old rag (mine just had a few spiderwebs, so a dry cloth worked fine)

4. Spray away with desired color of paint

5. Wait...

6. Repeat steps 4&5 until it is well-covered =)

7. Have hubby cut you a piece of scrap wood to fit in the frame (or if you don't have scrap wood...or a handy husband, Home Depot works GREAT for this part).  We found a nice thin piece that was smooth on one side.

8. Sand the wood until completely smooth and wipe clean with a microfiber cloth.

9. Spray primer on the wood until you get a good coat.

10. Use some steel wool and buff the surface of the wood.  Wipe all granules away.

11. Spray with chalkboard paint (found at Home Depot, maybe $4 for a bottle...or $10 if you like the paint-on kind).  Use 2-3 coats until its fully covered.

12. Wait about an hour (or whatever the back of the can says) before putting it in your frame.

13. After 24 hours, you need to use the side of a piece of chalk and rub it over the entire chalkboard before use.

And there you have it!  An easy, affordable, useful, decorative object to place on the desired wall space!!!

And here it is in MY space:

Although someday I hope to have one as tall as Sara's...for now this is what my space allows.  And I'm LOVING IT!

I'm still finishing editing birthday photos (I might be halfway through now?) and I am hoping to have them finished in time for Monkey's birthday post tomorrow.  So check back soon!!!